1. Stuffed Grape Leaves (Zeytinyağlı yaprak sarma )

Grape leaves stuffed with a tasty rice and spices (allspice and cumin) mixture, loaded with fresh herbs in the form of parsley, dill and mint, and then cooked with olive oil and lemony broth.

Vegetables cooked in olive oil appeared in literature for the first time as a food category in Istanbul. There are certain tips that need to be followed when cooking vegetables in olive oil. Adding only a sufficient amount of water is one of the main principles. The vegetables should neither be undercooked or overcooked. Therefore, the vegetables should not be boiled over a high heat but must simmer slowly until the liquid has been absorbed and virtually achieved the consistency of a sauce.

Grape leaves are the most widely used type of leaves in Turkish cuisine for both meat and olive oil sarmas. Developed from a recipe from the Ottoman period, wine leaves stuffed with sour cherries are a flavor from İstanbul that combines sweet and sour tastes with aromas of cinnamon, plenty of pine nuts and currants.

Today, lemon slices have replaced the sourness of sour cherries. Stuffed grape leaves in olive oil are cooked using different spices in every region and every home, sometimes sweet and sometimes slightly bitter, but always with a sour touch.

2. Red bean stew with olive oil (Zeytinyağlı barbunya pilaki)

There's nothing like the color and texture of fresh-picked red beans or “barbunya” in Turkish. Their cream-colored hulls covered with lovely speckles ranging from pink to purple make preparing and cooking this dish a pleasure.

No one knows this feeling better than the Turkish cooks. Different varieties of fresh and dried beans are staples in Turkish cuisine. It's no wonder that in Turkey you can find so many delicious recipes with beans.

This recipe for red beans, cooked with tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, sugar, and olive oil, garnished with parsley and slices of lemon are no exception. It makes a perfect, lighter alternative to sugary baked beans. Red bean stew in olive oil also make a great side dish or buffet platter and served cold. In this recipe, fresh barbunya beans work the best, but depending on the season, you can also use dried or even canned pinto beans

Vegetarians and vegans take note: Red beans are very high in protein and fiber so this dish can also be served alone as a meatless main course.

3. Hummus (Humus)

With mysterious origins, this appetizing and trendy dip is probably one of the most contentious dishes in the world. In Antakya (Hatay), you will come across a Humus shop almost on every street. It is consumed at every meal, and you can find it on the menu of nearly every restaurant as a side dish or even a main course! 

It will be served cold with pickles, fresh mint, and fresh veggies heavily doused in virgin olive oil for breakfast.

It is baked in the oven and served with melted butter and roasted pine nuts for dinner.

Its creamy, smooth texture will not disappoint you. The secret weapon in the recipe is the quality of the locally produced chickpeas.

4. Fine bulgur salad with fresh herbs and tomatoes (Kisir)

Bulgur based salad including tomato paste, tomato, onion, cucumber, cornichon and parsley dressed with sour pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lemon juice and tasty Turkish spices, served at room temperature as either a side-dish or appetizer.

Vegetarians and vegans take note: Bulgur is very high in protein and fiber so this dish can also be served alone as a meatless main course.

5. Shakshuka (Şakşuka)

Şakşuka is a beloved Turkish vegetarian/vegan dish made of shallow-fried vegetables and a simple tomato sauce. 

The star ingredient for this traditional Turkish dish is the aubergines/eggplants and served at room temperature either with the tomato sauce on top or mixed with other vegetables. 

Whichever way it is done, to many Turks, it’s the beloved flavour of summer as a side dish, even for breakfast.

6. Green Beans in Olive Oil (Zeytinyağlı Taze Fasulye) 

Sauté onions with olive oil in a pot. Then add tomato paste and tomatoes, sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then stir in green beans. If fresh green beans are used, they should be washed&drained, cut in French style or 1 inch pieces. If frozen beans are used, they may be just added into the pot. Never thraw.

Then cook the green beans for a couple of minutes and then stir in salt, sugar and hot water. Close the lid and simmer over low heat till the green beans are cooked. Sprinkle some black pepper on top (optional), before serving and enjoy! 

To be adored by the vegetarians as well.

7. Rose Pastry with Cheese or Potatoes (Peynirli, Patatesli Gül Böreği)

Taking its name through its shape like a rose, this delicious pastry is made by "yufka", thin sheets of baked wheat dough, cheese, potato or any kind of filling as you like it.

Few make yufka at home, but in Türkiye, you could buy them freshly made from the yufka shops at almost every corner. 

Soft and absolutely divine, gül börek can be eaten at any time and virtually at any occasion. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and moreover it’s also perfect as a packed lunch if you’re road tripping or travelling.

8. Adana Kebap (Adana Kebabı)

Traditional Turkish dish from the South and southeast of Türkiye that consists of long, hand-minced meat and tail fat mix, mounted on a wide iron skewer and grilled on an open mangal filled with burning charcoal. 

It is usually served over the flatbread used to catch the drippings, accompanied by roasted tomatoes, green or red peppers and julienned onions with parsley and sumac. 

The culinary item is named after Adana, the fifth largest city of Türkiye and was originally known as minced meat kebap (Kıyma Kebabı) in Adana-Mersin and the southeastern provinces of Türkiye. 

9. Hatay (Antakya) style oven-baked tray kebap (Hatay usulü tepsi kebabı)

One of Antakya’s two kebab specialties, Tepsi Kebabı (Tray Kebab), is traditionally prepared by kneading minced meat with finely chopped onions, spices, and herbs. Then, this mixture is molded into a large circular baking tray and topped with tomato sauce before it is baked in a stone oven. 

In Antakya, you can eat this mouth-watering kebab at butchers, where the meat for kebab is minced with a special knife called zırh. Tepsi kebabı is also one of the main dishes local women serve their guests in any Antakya home.

10. Baklava

When you get baklava outside of the Middle East or the Balkans, you’re lucky if you can find any more than one variety let alone the kind of variety you find in Türkiye. Here, baklava is hardly a single food item but incorporates many different flavors and everyone will have their favorite that tastes best to them.

The crucial element to all baklava is that it’s made up of layers upon layers of filo dough (classically it’s meant to be 40 layers of filo dough) with chopped nuts and/or other goodies spread out upon each layer, which is then stacked on top of one another and cooked in a syrupy sugar mix of sugar and water, doused regularly so that it never gets too dry. 

11. Turkish Semolina Halva (İrmik helvası)

The name halva is used for referring to a wide variety of confections, with the most geographically common type based on fried semolina grain which we call irmik. It is popular in Türkiye as well as the Middle East, some parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. Made from just five basic ingredients; semolina flour, butter, milk or water, pine nuts and sugar, on a stove-top in 20 minutes, it is so easy and quick to make.

Served both hot or cold, with or without ice cream and with cinnamon sprinkled on top if desired, Semolina Halva “İrmik Helvası” is a delicious traditional dessert from Ottoman times.

12. Pumpkin desert (Kabak tatlısı)

Kabak tatlısı is a very simple recipe, made with minimal effort, yet gives maximum satisfaction. To begin with, sprinkle the pumpkin pieces with sugar, and set aside overnight to macerate. After the pumpkin has macerated, it’s candied by simmering in a lemon and clove simple syrup. Once cooked, kabak tatlısı is traditionally served with a drizzle of lemon juice, topped with roasted nuts and served with tahini and cream.

The texture of the dessert can be described as resembling taffy and extremely delicious with its caramelized flavour. As a prevalent sweet across many regions in Türkiye, it is being favored fare to have at home as part of a traditional Turkish family meal, as well as present on the menus of the majority of the Turkish restaurants.

13. Turkish delights (Lokum)

Lokum is a family of confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often flavored with rosewater, mastic gum, bergamot orange, or lemon. 

The confection is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar, copra, or powdered cream of tartar to prevent clinging. Other common flavors include cinnamon and mint. In the production process, soapwort may be used as an emulsifying additive.

The origin of Turkish delight is not precisely known, but the confection is known to have been produced in Türkiye and Iran (Persia) as early as the late 18th century.

14. Fresh Fruit Sherbets (Şerbet)

Sherbet made with fresh or dried fruits are a perfect accompaniment for many dishes and healthy alternative drink. Sherbets can be made with fresh or dried apricots, prunes, or raisins separately, but when all of them are mixed, this creates a spring or autumn array. The combination of the sweet and sour flavors of fruits make this drink juice even more delicious. Using sour and sweet fruits together creates a sweet balance in the sherbet without using any sugar, so you can make a healthy, sugar-free compote which is very rich in terms of fruit fibers. 

Our sherbet today is made up from the delicious blueberries and black currants of Latvia which gives us the chance to serve a unique drink with a newly discovered genuine Turkish-Latvian style this time.   

15. Traditional Turkish Tea (Türk çayı/Chai)

Drinking Turkish tea from tulip-shaped glass made up in special tea pots in Türkiye is not just an everyday habit but a culture and a way of life for Turkish people. From early morning until bedtime, a glass of Turkish tea accompanies local delicacies of all kinds. It warmths the coldest temperatures in winter, takes away exhaustion in the evenings, softens the tensions and accompanies both to the most friendly talks with your guests at home or just to the lonesomeness. Turkish people drink tea at every moment and occasion. They like to drink tea at breakfast, at 10 am, after lunch, at 4 pm, after dinner with dessert. This means that no matter what time of the day you want to drink it, it's the right one.

Drinking tea is a ritual in itself, most meetings or formal occasions begin with the offering of tea and most of the meal ends with it. 

In Türkiye, Turkish tea is a social drink among friends who meet at the local tea house or tea garden, which oddly translates to coffee house. These tea gardens do not serve coffee, they only serve a lot of freshly brewed black tea with a plentiful supply of lumps of sugar.